I've got a 1997 civic and I'm replacing the clutch. I already have pulled the trans and clutch and the clutch doesn't appear to be worn very much. The reason for changing it was that there wasn't much for free play in the pedal and the clutch disengaged after only pressing the pedal down about 1". What would cause this? The clutch pedal had to be almost completely out before it would start to grab. Is this normal on a Honda or do I have a problem somewhere else besides the clutch? I wouldn't think the slave cylinder would cause this but who knows. The flywheel doesn't show any wear and I didn't see any stamps that would indicate it had been ground down previously. Any input is appreciated, thanks.

 

Ouch. You did a huge amount of unnecessary work. Adjust the clutch pedal height as per service manual instructions and don't look back.